7.4.1
Secularisation UK
Explanations for Secularisation in the UK
Explanations for Secularisation in the UK
Secularisation is the process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose their social significance. In 2015, only around 4% of the British population regularly attended a church service on a Sunday.
- Rationalisation
- Rationalisation
- Weber argued that the Enlightenment era has led to the ‘disenchantment of the world’ as science has now become the dominant belief system.
- As a consequence, the public do not believe in the ‘sacred’ qualities of religion due to the lack of evidence to support their claims.
- This process is also known as ‘desacrilisation’.
- Cultural defence and transition
- Cultural defence and transition
- Bruce argues that people now use religion for secular reasons.
- Many people who affiliate themselves with religions may not actually believe in the God.
- Instead they use religion for one of two secular reasons.
Bruce: secular reasons
Bruce: secular reasons
- Cultural defence:
- Groups turn to religion when they feel under attack or marginalised in society. Religion offers them some protection.
- Cultural transition:
- This may make on individual feel as though they belong more to their new community.
Explanations for Secularisation in the UK
Explanations for Secularisation in the UK
Secularisation is the process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose their social significance. In 2015, only around 4% of the British population regularly attended a church service on a Sunday.
- ‘Believing in Belonging’
- ‘Believing in Belonging’
- Day also believes that the UK is becoming increasingly secular in her study entitled ‘Believing in Belonging’.
- Day suggests that many people still claim to be Christian in the UK however hold no religious beliefs.
Day
Day
- A potential reasons for affiliating to religion revolve around the longing for people to be part of British culture.
- In her research, Day claims there are three different types of ‘Christians’ that relate to her findings:
Day cont.
Day cont.
- Natal Christians :
- Who affiliate because they were christened and therefore state that they are a Christian.
- Ethnic Christians:
- Immigrants who want to belong to British Culture.
- Aspirational Christians:
- Those who want to seem moral and respectable, e.g. women who want to be seen as a ‘good mother’ by others.
- Religious pluralism
- Religious pluralism
- Berger argued that the vast number of religious organisations that exist also contributes to secularisation.
- In the past, countries would be dominated by one religion which enabled that ideology to maintain a grip on a particular nation.
Berger
Berger
- However, as there are now many different religions operating in the UK, Berger suggested that this has caused a ‘crisis in credibility’ for religion as no-one knows what to believe.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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